Gezicht op het Huis de Poll onder Voorst van voren 1864

Johannes Arnoldus Boland captured "Gezicht op het Huis de Poll onder Voorst van voren" in a drawing where a house is reflected on the river. The image is a masterful study in contrasts of light and shade, creating a serene yet slightly unsettling tableau. Boland divides the composition into horizontal layers of sky, landscape, and water. The crisp reflections of the house and trees in the water create a mirror image, almost perfectly symmetrical, which is then disrupted by the movement of a boat to the right. This use of symmetry and asymmetry generates a visual tension, destabilizing traditional landscape perspectives and meanings. The dark tonality of the trees contrasts with the light façade of the building, highlighting the materiality of the architectural structure against the natural environment. The artist uses the interplay of nature and architecture to question the stability of our perceptions. Is the reflection real or merely an illusion? This query challenges the viewer to look beyond the surface and engage with the underlying structures of representation.